{"slug": "virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers", "title": "Virginia governor creates an AI task force and moves to restrain data centers", "summary": "Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22, banning executive branch officials from signing non-disclosure agreements for data center projects, requiring expedited noise regulations and a review of data center backup-generation operations, and establishing an AI task force to evaluate risks such as workforce displacement and data privacy. Spanberger also unveiled a \"Data Center Accountability Framework\" that would eliminate \"by-right approval,\" remove some state subsidies, establish environmental guardrails, and protect residents from data-center-related energy price increases. The order follows executive actions on AI and data centers by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as states act amid slow federal movement.", "body_md": "Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) [ordered the state government](https://www.governor.virginia.gov//newsroom/news-releases/2026/september-releases/name-1123696-en.html) to take steps that could empower local communities to have a larger say in data center development and slow down approvals in a state that is already home to the [data center capital of the world](https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/975597/loudoun-county-virginia-data-center-backlash).\n\n# Virginia governor creates an AI task force and moves to restrain data centers\n\nGov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed an executive order addressing data canters and AI risks.\n\n[Executive Order 22](https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/eo-22-establishing-va-data-center-accountability-and-ai-initiatives.pdf) bans executive branch officials from signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for data center projects, requires expedited noise regulations, and a review of backup-generation operations used by data centers, among other requirements. The order also establishes an AI task force responsible for evaluating how the state government can address risks to Virginians like workforce displacement and data privacy issues, and determining how existing law can be applied to AI harms.\n\nThe order represents the latest signal that states are taking data center and AI policy into their own hands as Congress and President Donald Trump have been slow or resistant to sweeping changes. Also on Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) [issued an executive order](https://www.theverge.com/policy/997516/california-governor-newsom-ai-kill-switch) convening experts to tackle AI safety issues, and earlier, [New York Gov. Kathy Hochul](https://www.theverge.com/policy/965110/new-york-ai-data-center-moratorium) (D) and [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott](https://www.theverge.com/policy/975071/texas-data-center-audit) (R) have both taken executive action to rein in rapid data center development.\n\nIn addition to Virginia’s new executive order, Spanberger unveiled a new “[Data Center Accountability Framework](https://r5siqu4ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001DWqWhFm296wH14lkGyPgMrWpm41k9jQuKtYYx446Cp4xtmpAEmIuiqvwmVZKSfcy4qdPlbbU4SKe_AEeGhwNPG3pm6YAgotoKGZ-XF0ZsBrIhNexhWllX411qVJtiIxUQcVjoCvMJ_k8KzSB906UAsGLIgDf6-CqcKjWEod3PrHKalixBcqmrLve-xtFH8ii4uNI-6W5YumvL6yk-o5UYPcLvxt4GEIXS2EoJF0HUAeKVqQ-JmAPptOLKHGV9sp9lhEByaxSfRHWP856hSet4-V2gEBzSJ-FsQGkyNqyfRx_PTiddEkiGQ==&c=eX2uNvwbE5Hxq6rTSIpZ4UV6k37KJS7uRhjaPZYBMAqxOj-T04hjYA==&ch=nk8EQ3vn7kmXdUfZr8077MShG3TUMUbLwo0gSUoAcRSouSRW-qcyKA==)” for the state, which lays out additional priorities. These include eliminating “by-right approval,” like the kind that existed in Loudoun County for many years allowing developers to build on certain land without additional approvals, removing some state subsidies, establishing environmental guardrails, and safeguarding residents against increased energy prices that are associated with data centers.\n\nA press release for the actions includes many statements from environmental groups praising Spanberger’s approach, but others reportedly wish she’d gone even further. Piedmont Environment Council (PEC), for example, is a nonprofit that has [advocated for a moratorium](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/virginia-gov-spanberger-unveils-data-center-legislation-creates-ai-task-force/4156197/) on new development to deal with existing concerns, and PEC president Chris Miller said in a [statement](https://www.pecva.org/work/energy-work/pec-statement-on-the-governors-data-center-accountability-framework/) that “It largely addresses standards on new data centers and does not deal with what’s already built and in the pipeline, along with the ongoing impacts piling up in communities now.”\n\n**Follow topics and authors** from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers", "canonical_source": "https://www.theverge.com/policy/997573/virginia-governor-spanberger-data-center-ai-task-force", "published_at": "2026-09-18 18:29:17+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-18 18:56:29.202343+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Abigail Spanberger", "Virginia", "Executive Order 22", "Data Center Accountability Framework", "Gavin Newsom", "Kathy Hochul", "Greg Abbott", "Piedmont Environment Council"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/virginia-governor-creates-an-ai-task-force-and-moves-to-restrain-data-centers.jsonld"}}